Takuya Kimura Movies

Bayside Shakedown producer Chihiro Kameyama returns with this crowd-pleasing comedy drama spawned by the hit television series detailing a renegade district attorney's efforts to target political corruption in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo. Kohei Kuryu (popular singer Takuya Kimura) is a stereotype-shattering prosecutor who prefers jeans and flannels to the typical suit and tie. Previously exiled to a position in a nearby town, Kohei returns to the Josai branch of the Tokyo's public prosecutor after a six-year absence. While his smitten assistant Maiko initially chides Koei for failing to stay in contact, the truth is that she's thrilled to see him return. Soon enough, Koei is taking on his first new case - an apparently open-and-shut trial involving a security guard who has pleaded guilty for manslaughter after killing a man during a late night argument. The case gets complicated, however, when the accused guard suddenly changes his plea to not guilty. When Koei discovers that the guard is a pivotal figure in the alibi of a former transportation minister (Kazuyoshi Morita) suspected of pocketing a major kickback that very same night, the lawyer and his assistant set out in search of the security guard's missing van - the one piece of evidence that could make or break the entire case. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese animation director who wowed audiences worldwide with his award-winning film Spirited Away, brings another visually spectacular tale of imagination to the screen. Sophie is an 18-year-old girl who toils in the hat shop opened years ago by her late father. Often harassed by local boys, one day Sophie is unexpectedly befriended by Howl, a strange but flamboyant wizard whose large home can travel under its own power. However, the Witch of the Waste is displeased with Sophie and Howl's budding friendship, and turns the pretty young woman into an ugly and aged hag. Sophie takes shelter in Howl's castle, and attempts to find a way to reverse the witch's spell with the help of Calcifer, a subdued but powerful demon who exists in the form of fire, and Markl, who protects the four-way door which can instantly take visitors to other lands and dimensions. Howl's Moving Castle was released in North America by Walt Disney Pictures, who distributed the film both in its original Japanese and in a dubbed English version; the English-speaking voice cast includes Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, and Billy Crystal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide